


Single Father Solidarity

by himegure



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I will probably fail, Long haired shiro, M/M, both shiro and adam have kinda depressing backstories to how they had their kids, gonna get kinda sad and angsty, he's afraid of loving another person, im gonna attempt slowburn, klance will NOT exist in this universe dont even try me, shiro doesnt wanna fall in love with adam at first, single parents support club au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 09:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18233120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/himegure/pseuds/himegure
Summary: After his hair slowly turning white from raising a troublesome Keith all alone, Matt suggests Shiro visit the local single parents support club. As a man who doesn't like asking for help, it took some convincing for him to go. There, he meets Adam Wright, another single dad in an ocean of single women. He doesn't want to let himself open up to someone, his main priority is raising Keith, but Adam tries to show him that he can let himself have things he wants and take care of a kid at the same time.





	Single Father Solidarity

**Author's Note:**

> hello there!! this is my first adashi centered fic, i've been wanting to write this for a while but writer's block has my ass. i would like to make this clear: KLANCE WILL NOT BE A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP IN THIS. that's just gross. if you want klance go read my other fics. also shiro has long hair in this with the white tuft i just wanted to point that out bc it has me weak
> 
> aside from that, this fic will be dealing with some serious, kind of dark(?) topics, regarding homosexuality and what happens when people fall out of love. shiro's backstory of how he had keith is angsty, as well as adam's (but not as intense as shiro), so prepare for that. i will also be attempting to write a slowburn!! i will probably fail though oops
> 
> hope you enjoy!!

“Are you sure it’s alright I leave Keith here? I always have him with me wherever I am, I really don’t mind taking him with me.”

 

Takashi Shirogane, age 25, father of a 2 year old Keith Akira Kogane. After a very… tragic relationship, another one of his parent friends, Matthew Holt, told him about this support group someone he knew went to a while back. 

 

_ “You know, Shiro,” he said, holding his own child on his hip as he handed him the support group pamphlet, “you should- Katherine please don’t pull on my hair, you should really check this out. My friend who went to this said it really helped her out, and they offer childcare services during the meetings so you get to focus on yourself and not have to worry about Keith.” Matt made a face as Katie pulled on his long hair, sighing tiredly. “Sometimes I regret growing my hair out, Katie just pulls on it whenever I hold her.” _

 

_ “I think the long hair suits you, she’ll stop pulling it once her own hair grows out long enough for her to pull.” Shiro replied, his eyes scanning over the pamphlet. “And… not having to worry about Keith?” He asked. The concept seemed foreign to him. He couldn’t remember a time in the past two years where his eyes weren’t locked on his child. Keith was already a trouble maker, and now that he was in his terrible twos, Shiro felt like he never slept a wink these days to make sure Keith wasn’t getting into trouble. He’d gone through numerous babysitters, all of which quit after one session with the kid. Shiro could never be mad, though, not at Keith. Surely he’d get better as he got older. Matt chuckled as he saw the puzzled look on his face.  _

 

_ “Yeah, it’s free of charge too. They take volunteers, too, but you don’t need to do that. Keith’s the equivalent of 10 kids.” _

 

_ “Do you think he’ll be fine in there? He’s not good with other kids, I don’t want to be kicked out of this group because Keith’s getting aggressive with other children…” Shiro couldn’t help but worry about the scenario. Keith just… didn’t really get along with others. He wasn’t social and liked being alone. The only person Keith hadn’t been aggressive with yet was Katie, but even then sometimes Katherine would be a little pissy with Keith.  _

 

_ “He’ll be fine, Shiro. You worry too much.” _

 

_ “I don’t worry enough.” Shiro chuckled. _

 

Now, he found himself at the support group meeting, worrying if his son was going to get aggressive with the other children. A sweet middle aged woman ran the childcare services during meetings had taken Keith with her, he didn’t look too thrilled to be walking off with this strange woman, but maybe the tired pleading in Shiro’s eyes convinced him to let him just have this one thing. If Keith wasn’t throwing a fit already, maybe he’d be alright. Shiro checked the time on his phone, seeing as the group session started in three minutes. He looked back at the room with a handful of children running around, some volunteers laughing and smiling as they kept up with the children. Shiro caught a glimpse of Keith sitting in the corner by himself, watching the other children run around. Typical Keith. Shiro gave a quiet sigh of relief before walking into the meeting room.

 

The first thing to come to mind as Shiro walked into the open room, chairs all in a circle in the center, was  _ I’m the only dad here. _ Then, as he looked around some more, he realized that he was wrong. Another male sat in a chair, talking to some of the moms before the meeting started. He had tan skin, olive eyes behind hexagonal shaped glasses, and a head full of somewhat wavy brown hair. He also seemed to have a good sense of fashion, wearing a white turtleneck, black pants, and a black peacoat jacket on top of it. It actually made Shiro a bit self conscious, wearing a grey sweatshirt over some black pants. Once he became a parent, Shiro started prioritizing comfort over appearance. Maybe this guy somehow found a happy middle of the two.

 

Shiro sat himself down in one of the chairs as he waited for the meeting to start, looking around at all the parents around him. Something made him feel like this wasn’t where he should be, like it was shameful for him to be seeking help or something along those lines. He shook the thought out of his head. 

 

_ Matt’s your best friend, he suggested this to you because he wants the best for you, Takashi. _

 

He had to repeat the line to himself a few times before the group session officially started. He found himself spacing out a bit at the beginning, given it was some ice breakers and everybody was introducing themselves. He seemed to snap back to reality when the other dad’s time came to introduce himself. 

 

“Hi,” He said with a warm smile, “My name’s Adam Wright, I’m 26, and I’m a book fanatic. My favorite is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I even have a tattoo of one of the quotes on my collarbone.”

 

_ He looks like a book fanatic. _

 

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was it the glasses? Maybe, but even Shiro wore glasses on occasion but didn’t find himself to love books that much. Well, that may have to do with constantly having to watch Keith and never having time to himself. Shiro was brought back to reality when he felt someone tapping his shoulder. 

 

“Sir?”

 

“Wha-? Oh, I’m sorry, long night. I’m Takashi Shirogane, I’m 25, and I can’t cook for the life of me.” Shiro chuckled, earning a light laugh from the group around him. Even Adam, seated a few chair away from him. “You can call me Shiro, though.”

 

After they all got to know each other, Shiro was becoming more and more comfortable in the environment. He was even able to go 5 minutes without worrying about how Keith was doing, which was a feat. He swore he could feel Adam’s eyes glancing at him occasionally, but maybe it was the idea of Shiro thinking he stuck out like a sore thumb and that  _ everybody _ was looking at him. Today’s topic was “fears of being a single parent”. It was a bit of a touchy topic to jump into, but in a way, it was nice to hear that Shiro wasn’t alone in his fears. 

 

“I’m afraid my kid will be made fun of for only having one parent.” 

 

“I’m afraid my other friends are judging me because I’m a single parent, when the rest of them are already married or in the process of getting married.”

 

“My fear is that I feel like I failed my parents for having a child outside of wedlock or a serious relationship. My parents were married for 10 years before they had me.”

 

Then, it came time for Adam to talk. 

 

“My biggest fear is that I’m not gonna do a good enough job raising Lance and that he’s not gonna reach his full potential because of it. That, or he’ll have a warped view of how relationships work because the one that I got Lance out of didn’t end well. I know I’ll have to tell him about it at some point, I just hope it doesn’t affect him when it comes time for relationships and stuff.” Adam said with a sigh. Well that was comforting. Shiro had pretty similar fears, especially when it came to how his relationships would affect Keith. He prayed that Keith would never have to go through what he did. 

 

“I’m afraid that my child’s gonna ask herself why her dad walked out. I don’t want her blaming herself at all, he walked out because he didn’t want the responsibility. My mom was a single mom too and I blamed myself, so I know she probably will, too, but I hope she doesn’t.” Another person confessed. She got teary eyed, pulling out a tissue and dabbing her eyes dry.

 

And Shiro’s turn. 

 

“Not to, uh, steal Adam’s thoughts or anything, but I feel the same way. That I’m not gonna do a good enough job parenting, he won’t thrive in life because I wasn’t enough just me. He’s already… an aggressive kid, I guess you could say, but…” he cut himself off; he wasn’t about to tell this group of strangers his sob story of how he had Keith. “Anyways, I also hope he doesn’t make the mistake I did. I’m so happy I have Keith, I wouldn’t go back and redo it for anything, but what I did caused me so much emotional distress that I would die if Keith even went through an  _ ounce  _ of it.” Shiro had to stop himself before he started crying. Yeah, it was a group of women who would be more than supportive if he shed a few tears, but again, he didn’t know any of these people. On top of that, he didn’t see Adam getting emotional, so he definitely wasn’t going to be getting emotional, either. 

 

The group talked a bit more, and Shiro wasn’t too interested in joining in on the discussion. He got what was on his mind out, so he would just keep to himself. The meetings only lasted an hour apparently, which was probably why the childcare here was free. There was no way they would watch all of those kids for free for more than an hour, while also feeding them and such. He was more worried about how Keith was, or how the volunteers watching him were doing. 

 

“Alright everyone, thank you for coming out tonight, and hopefully I’ll see these new faces again next week.” The head lady, Jimena Vasquez, said with a warm smile. She was a short, tan woman with a radiant, bubbly personality, but you could also tell that she was the head woman at this support group. “Could I have the new people come and visit me for a moment?” 

 

_ Oh shit. _

 

Turns out, he and Adam were the only new people this week. Well wasn’t that great? She was probably going to suggest that the two share numbers and ‘get to know each other’ or something. Shiro glanced at Adam for a second, and he seemed to have the same idea. They locked eyes for a moment, but Shiro looked away before it held for too long. They walked up to Jimena.

 

“You know, it was wonderful seeing some fathers here this week. Usually it’s just the single women, I guess men think they don’t need help, or know that it’s generally women that go to these sorts of things and it’ll shatter their masculinity.” She sighed, shaking her head. Adam and Shiro glanced at each other again. Well, she was probably right, but what a way to start a conversation, right? “I suppose that’s besides the point, though,” Jimena said with a smile, “I just wanted to thank you two for coming out here today. It’s hard for people to bite the bullet and ask for help, whether it’s calling up a friend or going to support groups like these. Do you two know each other, or was this the first time you’ve met?”   
  


“First time.” Adam smiled. Oh wow, his smile was breathtaking. So soft and gentle, yet hit Shiro like a blow to the gut. Shiro nodded in agreement. “Although,” Adam’s olive eyes behind his glasses glanced at Shiro yet again, “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you some more. Like, single dad solidarity or something?” He chuckled. Oh god, that was perfect too. 

 

Wait, Shiro, no. Bad. He’s probably straight. 

 

“I wouldn’t mind that either.” Shiro replied with a soft smile. Yes, as friends. Friends. Platonic. No ounce of romance. It took Shiro a moment to realize that Adam’s phone was being held out to him to add his phone number. Something stood out to him, though, as he took the phone from Adam’s hand. The name wasn’t blank, as most people would put it in themselves when they were giving someone their contact information. It read ‘Takashi’, instead of ‘Shiro’. Did Adam really bother remembering his actual name, and not the nickname he gave himself since people could never pronounce his name right? How endearing. He typed in his phone number, handing it back to him. 

 

“Well, I should probably get going. Lance usually takes his nap in a bit, so I should get him back home. It was nice meeting you.” Adam said to Jimena and Shiro before walking off. Shiro should probably grab Keith too. Oh god, please don’t let him be faced with the dreaded ‘I’m sorry, but we can’t watch him anymore’. He was more than anxious walking over to the room, passing by Adam who had a child, probably around Keith’s age, and looked like an identical copy of Adam. Well, minus the glasses, and the kid had bright blue eyes. Adam waved goodbye with a warm smile, Shiro nervously returning it. He walked up to the woman by the door. 

 

“Shiro, right? Keith’s sleeping in the corner, he was surprisingly good. He was definitely moody at first, but then he started playing with this kid named Lance, and they seemed to get along quite well. Keith pulled his hair, but Lance did it right back so Keith may have gotten the hint.” She giggled softly. “I’ll be looking forward to seeing him next week!” 

 

Shiro just about started crying on the spot. “Are… are you serious?” He asked quietly. The woman immediately looked concerned. 

 

“Yes, sir, I’m 100% serious. Is everything alright?” 

 

“No, no, I mean, yes, everything’s fine. Actually, everything’s great.” Shiro breathed, smiling softly. “He’s… a bit of a hellraiser, to be completely honest. And I don’t say that like he’s just in his Terrible Twos, it’s so much worse than that. I’ve never had a babysitter or  _ anyone _ tell me he was good, I usually only hear bad things after anybody watches him.” He confessed, sighing quietly. He really hoped this was just a phase he was going through early on, and that he’d be easier to handle with time. The woman smiled, shaking her head.

 

“Honestly, unless you told me all of that, I would have just thought that he was like those other kids. Every kid gets into their moods and tantrums, but Keith was pretty well behaved. This is gonna sound horrible, but does he have any friends he plays with?” She asked. Well, that was a valid question.

 

“One, her name’s Katherine. She’s the daughter of my best friend from high school and college. She, uh, kind of did what Lance did. Pull his hair back.” he chuckled. “I should probably grab him so he doesn’t sleep too much before he gets home. Thank you  _ so much _ for watching him.” He said, giving her a warm smile before walking into the room. There were less children in there from the first time he came in, supposedly from getting picked up. Surely enough, there was Keith curled up in a ball. He kneeled down, picking up the sleeping child. He made a quiet noise as he woke up a bit, clutching onto Shiro before falling right back asleep. It was things like this that made Shiro’s heart absolutely melt, and made all of the emotional expense of being a parent that much more worth it. He shot the woman one last smile before walking out with Keith. 

 

By the time he got Keith situated in his car seat and he was getting into the driver’s seat, he noticed that he had a text from an unknown number. He closed the door, opening the conversation. He turned on his car as his eyes scanned the conversation starter.

 

_ Takashi? _

_ This is Adam. Do you wanna grab coffee with me sometime?  _

 

He had to reread the message a few times. No, not a date. That was  _ not _ a date. Guys can get coffee together and it not be a date. He’s probably straight. Always remember that. 

 

_ yeah, that sounds great! i’ll talk to you in a bit, just got in the car.  _

 

Shiro saved Adam’s contact and connected his phone to the bluetooth speaker, turning the volume down to the single digits. Keith proved to be a pretty heavy sleeper, as long as Shiro didn’t blast music, Keith would sleep for the whole ride. 

 

Speaking of music, it was time for Shiro’s favorite. Classic 80s. He clicked shuffle, the first song quietly playing through the speakers being George Michael’s  _ Faith _ . The organ played softly opening the song, Shiro humming along as he pulled out of the parking lot. He’d head over to Matt’s house, tell him the good news about Keith from today. It genuinely lifted his mood, he felt like he was on top of the world. 

 

“Well I guess it would be nice

If I could touch your body,

I know not everybody

Has got a body like you, uhh,

But I've got to think twice

Before I give my heart away,

And I know all the games you play

Because I play them too.”

Man, Shiro really loved 80s music. Matt didn’t mind it, which was great, because any time Shiro drove, that was exactly what was playing. Matt, unsurprisingly, liked the current pop music. Shiro didn’t  _ hate _ it, per say, but he truly believed the golden music from the 1980s would be forever superior. At the next red light, Shiro checked his phone, seeing Adam’s response. He smiled softly. 

 

_ Alright, just let me know. :) _

_ I’m free pretty much every day except for Tuesdays, I teach an online class but once a week I have to hold a physical class for the students to attend. It’s four hours long, quite boring, but it pays well. _

_ Drive safe Takashi!  _

**Author's Note:**

> that's the first chapter! i try to write at least 3,000 words per chapter and i struggled getting that out, but i managed to hit it! again, klance will not be a romantic relationship in this, but they'll be best friends!! just, friends who act like they hate each other. i hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for updates!!


End file.
